 pla·ce·bo ef·fect
/pləˈsēbō əˈfekt/
At my retirement, I was a nurse/clinical research coordinator for a USC Hepatitis Research Center at LA County Hospitals. It was there that I became familiar with the "placebo affect". Once a patient has not responded to the standard of care treatment, they may be eligible for a clinical trial to be blindly randomized to (1) study drug or (2) placebo. Evidence that placebo sometimes helps the patient is when the patient's disease shows measurable improvement which is rare but does happen. An interesting observation is that placebo patients may report drug side effects like headache, weight gain, dry mouth and more. Of particular interest is how some placebo patients will report improved quality of life that may be related to the fact that study visits are often more detailed and personal than are routine physician visits so there may even be a placebo effect for all study patients from the personal attention they receive from their study team. I see the relationship of Placebo Affect with Ultra Ladies. For 24-years, I've watched newbies show up for their first trail run and they all express familiar sentiments "OMG... I don't belong here... what have I gotten myself into? Truth is, the first few trail runs ARE scary if it's new to you but by the time you run your first ultra marathon, scary is replaced by nervous excitement. How is this possible? It's the PlacebA Affect! PlacebA Affect is trail running with like-minded Ladies who have been where you are, who share the same worries and insecurities that women face. It's showing up for some very long and difficult runs knowing that trail has lessons to teach you about fear, weakness, humility and the women who run beside you are your partners in these lessons. This makes Ultra Ladies your PlacebA! Ultra Ladies running leads to growth... confidence... positivity... empowerment. These changes don't occur just from the running but from running on trail... with your trail sisters... and believing that positive changes will happen through the process. This is the PlacebA Affect! Through running with Ultra Ladies you will come to know "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think".
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he was the best male role model in my life. After that, all the guys I dated were pretty much a-holes. I started using drugs and alcohol at an early age to hide my feelings from being molested. I would get so drunk I would end up passing out. I didn't do hard drugs very often; it was mostly weed and occasionally meth, coke, mushrooms or acid. I preferred to get drunk.
I moved away when I was 21 and was in a toxic relationship for four years. I was mentally abused on a daily basis and I developed really bad OCD. I found a way out and started dating someone who was not abusive but was still fucked up; he was a drug addict. I too became drug addicted and found my love of meth. It fueled my eating disorder and made me really skinny. My friends and I would have contests to see how skinny we could get in a week and go without food and live on Pepsi. We would go out dancing all night. Don't get me wrong, I loved this time in my life hanging out at the Goth clubs. When I walked into a club I owned the place. I was that girl who got the club dancing. I owned the stage and that was where my crew and I danced. We were the ones everyone wanted to be like. We were the cool kids. The DJ played the music I requested and the club owners let me in for free. Me wait in line? Hell no! I was living in the fast lane. It was just a matter of time before I crashed. People always do. Getting arrested and going to jail was my crash and burn. Attempting suicide was going to be my way out of this fucked up life I created for myself. Well, I was unsuccessful at that. I can only thank my higher power for that. Then I took the path of recovery. I still had a lot of issues after getting sober. I suffered for several more years with my anorexia. My life changed when I found running. It helped me figure out who I was and who I was supposed to be. I shifted from being that cool girl, in the club to the cool girl on the trail, who is positive and outgoing. My life’s mission is to inspire as many as I can through my story. Sure, I still have anxiety, depression, stress and OCD but I have learned how to cope with it. In two more days I will run my 10th San Diego 100. I will be taking the old Catra with me, remembering that she made me who I am today. With out going through the Hell I went through, I would have never have learned to be #badass and #doepicshit! Remember where you came from! |
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